This invention pertains to a stabilizing structure in the form of a ground-engaging stand for stabilizing, into verticality, an elongate upright structural building frame column, or the like, particularly at a point in time during the assembly of a structural building frame when the column is generally positionally in place, but has not yet been anchorably installed or assembled with other components of an emerging building frame structure. In particular, the invention relates to such a stand which can be moved over the ground laterally on a suitable ground-traveling support structure, such as casters, provided adjacent the stand's base, and which can also be lifted upwardly from caster, etc. support to cause it to rest in a stationary position on leveler feet, or the like, which engage the ground—which feet may be adjusted to tilt the stand and any held column appropriately to place the column's long axis into a true plumb and vertical condition.
As the technology of creating components for, and then assembling these components to produce, a structural building frame continues to advance and improve, it has become evident that one area for improvement involves the manner in which a yet unassembled building frame column may be positioned in a proper upright position, well stabilized, in preparation for its becoming anchorably installed with other components in an emerging building frame. Preferably, the supporting of such a column in such a manner is performed through relatively simple and easily maneuvered device which is light in weight, relatively inexpensive, easy to manipulate, and readily linked with, and later unlinked, with a column with respect to which it is employed to provide preassembly column support. Any such device for stabilizing a long, upright column must possess an adequately wide effective footprint relative to the underlying ground in order to avoid any condition where a supported column which is yet unattached to other structure might topple and produce serious damage and injury.
The present invention addresses these concerns and considerations in an innovative and extremely effective manner by providing a plural-leg (outrigger leg structure) stand which includes a pair of vertically spaced, generally central collars, or collar structures, that are openable and closeable to clamp around, and also to release, the base of an upright column of the type generally outlined above. This stand, also referred to herein as a stabilizing structure, with respect to outrigger leg structure, is furnished, in the particular embodiment of the invention illustrated and described herein, with ground-engaging casters (or any other suitable ground-traveling support structure, such as skids) effectively attached near the undersides of the plural legs—which casters may be used to shift the stand along the ground so as to promote easy lateral movement over the ground, and convenient positioning of a held column for proper placement in a building frame.
Additionally, and also located adjacent the undersides of the plural legs in the particular embodiment of the invention now being discussed, are vertically adjustable leveler feet which may be lowered, as by rotational screw action, to lift the stand upwardly so as to take supported weight off the casters, and to transfer such weight directly to the leveler feet which then provide non-ground traveling, and highly stable positional support for the stand and for any held column. These same adjustable leveler feet readily enable appropriate multi-angular tilting of the stand, and therefore of any held and supported column, so as to dispose the long axis of a held column in a true vertical and plumb condition. While screw adjustment is mentioned above, and illustrated herein, as a convenient manner for “leveler-feet” vertical adjustment, other manners of such adjustment, like gear adjustment, hydraulic adjustment, etc., could be used just as well.
Various others features and advantages which are offered by the invention will become more fully apparent as the description which now follows is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In reading about and appreciating these features and advantages, one should be aware that the stabilizer stand of this invention could readily be adapted for use with respect to various column-like, elongate, upright structures which present installation (or other) positioning/handling issues like those described above, and hereinbelow, relating, strictly speaking to structural building-frame columns.